Electric sign



(No Model.)

W. G-ONNELL.

. ELECTRIC SIGN. No. 572.158. Patented Dec. 1, 1896.

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Tn: Npmus PETERS w. Pw'raurno. WASNINGTOMD- UNITED STATES PAT NT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM CONNELL, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC SIGN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 572,158, dated December1, 1896.

Application filed March 10, 1896. seen at. 582,620. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern/.1

Be it known that I, WILLIAM CONNELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inElectric Signs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to electric signs of that class in which theletters or characters are portrayed by means of electric lamps.

The object of the invention is to provide a sign of this character onwhich the position of the letters or figures may be shifted at pleasurefrom a distant point by means of simple mechanism.

In carrying out my invention I arrange upon the surface of the signelectric lamps covering its entire surface and placed as close togetheras possible. Upon an operatingswitchboard more or less remote from thesign I arrange circuit-terminals, the same in number and corresponding,respectively, in position with the lamps on the sign. The conductor ofany given lamp on the sign terminates at the corresponding terminal onthe switchboard. The letters or characters are of conducting materialand electrically connected with one side of the circuit. When theseletters are placed face down upon the operating-switchboard, they makecontact with all those terminals directly beneath them, therebycompleting the circuit through all of the corresponding lamps on thesign. These lamps, being thus illuminated, will portray the particularletters or characters resting on the switchboard, and it is obvious thatthe said letters or characters may be moved around over the surface ofthe switchboard and shifted in any manner to produce certain effects,such as the spelling of words or the formation of designs and figures. Acomplete letter or design may also be bodily shifted from one positionto another on the sign without at any time obliterating any partof theletter or figure.

The invention will be described in detail with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a diagrammatical plan ofthe entire system constituting my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional viewof one of the letters or characters, and Fig. 3 is a detail of one ofthe terminals used on the switchboard.

Referring to the drawings by letter, A represents the sign, and B theoperators switchboard. The sign may be of any desired shape, but wouldordinarily have an elongated rectangular surface. The entire surface ofthe sign will be covered with incandescent lamps a, placed as closetogether as convenient, mechanically, and preferably arranged in someregular order, such as in rows at right angles. to each other and atequal distances apart. The sign will of course be permanently located atsome exposed place. The

operators switchboard is a substantial facsimile of the sign except thatits surface is covered by exposed circuit-terminals bin the form of pinsinstead of lamps a. The circuitterminals will be arranged in exactly thesame positions upon the switchboard as the lamps are upon thesign-board, and there will be but one circuit-terminal for each lamp,the terminals corresponding in position with their respective lamps. Theswitchboard may be located more or less remote from the sign-board.

The electrical circuits are as follows: One terminal of each lamp isconnected with one of the main feeding-wires, for instance. From theother terminal of each lamp wire 0 leads to its corresponding terminalI) on the switch board. A portion of this wiring is shown in Fig. 1, theremainder being omitted for the sake of clearness. It will be understoodthat the face of the switchboard is of wood, slate, or other insulatingmaterial, and that the terminals are firmly embedded or fixed therein.The exposed ends of all the terminals are in the same plane, so thatwhen any flat surface is placed against the terminals it will makecontact with all those terminals directly beneath it. p

The letters or characters which are to be portrayed upon the sign areindicated at E, I their simplest construction being that of a stampedmetal plate. I prefer, however, 'to' insulate the upper surface with alayer of hard rubber e, and in some instances add weight to it by aplate of lead 6', placed on top of the'insulating-layer. The figure mayalso have a handle 6 by which it may be picked up and manipulated. Themetallic ICO will close the circuit of the corresponding 1 group oflamps on the sign-board and will portray the shape of the letter orcharacter. Vith a little manipulation of the characters E curious andinteresting effects may be produced upon the sign. For instance, a wordmay be spelled out, letter by letter, by placing the letters composingthe word upon the switchboard in their proper positions, and in anysequence. The first letter of a word may be. started at the extremeright-hand end of the sign and moved along to the extreme lefthand end,where it is left, the secondfinding its place in the same way, and so onuntil the word is completely spelled out. The flight of an arrow may beindicated by sliding such a figure across the switchboard, and sovarious other forms, fanciful and otherwise, may be portrayed. It may bedesired to have the terminals I) normally deac This is done by means ofthe construction shown in Fig. 3, wherein the actual terminal of thewire. 0 is at 0. Above it is arranged a spring-mounted plunger 1), whichneeds to be pressed downward into contact with the terminal 0' in orderto convey current from said terminal through the plunger to the letteror character resting upon the plunger. In using these spring terminalsthe character should be weighted, as shown in Fig. 2. It is obvious,however, that pressure may be applied instead of using the weight.

It will be understood that the'relative sizes of the sign andswitchboard, as a whole, are not material, the only essential pointbeing that the terminals 1) shall correspond in numher and position withthe lamps.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim- In an electric sign, the combination of a sign-board having itssurface covered with incandescent lamps, and a switchboard having itssurface covered with exposed circuitterminals there being one terminalcom sponding to each lamp, the corresponding lamps and terminals beingdirectly connected WILLIAM CONNELL. Witnesses:

R. E. GLULEY, F. C. PEARSON.

